Published 2 February, 2021
Basseterre
Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
Article by
Kareem Smith
Barbados’ CARICOM Ambassador David Comissiong is challenging “hypocritical” policies and “hostile” attitudes that hinder Barbadian doctors trained in Cuba from practicing here.
Under existing policies, Cuban-trained doctors are required to sit additional exams before being cleared to practice medicine here since their training does not reach the threshold accepted by the Barbados Medical Council.
The challenges are said to be particularly apparent as scores of Cuban healthcare workers tackle Barbados’ COVID-19 outbreak while Barbadians, also trained in Cuba are denied.
Comissiong says while the expertise of rookie doctors cannot be compared with that of Cuba’s Medical Brigade, there is no excuse for the difficulties young doctors are facing. In fact, the ambassador, who has been working with Cuba’s scholarship programme from the early 1990s, believes some “influential doctors” continue to promote the undesirable policies.
“When the COVID pandemic hit Barbados last year, five of these Cuban-trained Barbadian doctors approached me and through me, offered their services to the Barbados Ministry of Health to work on the frontlines in dealing with COVID-19, and there was an indication that the ministry was grateful for the offer, but ultimately their services were not called upon,” the CARICOM Ambassador told Barbados TODAY.
“My personal view is there are influential doctors in Barbados who are intent on restricting access to the practice of medicine in Barbados and I think that is at the heart of this policy of not accepting the Cuban graduates. I feel so because there is no rational basis on which one can say the medical training received in Cuba is inferior to the medical training received at the University of the West Indies for example, or at any of the offshore medical schools that operate in the Caribbean. There is no objective basis for making such a determination,” he argued.
Efforts to reach current Chairman of the Barbados Medical Council Dr Charles Edwards for a response to the suggestions were unsuccessful.
However, former chair Professor Sir Errol Walrond noted the policy is not exclusive to Cuban medical schools and described as “totally untrue” the notion that they cannot get into the system. He explained that apart from the University of the West Indies, there are only a select number of international institutions whose qualifications are recognized by the medical council. All others, he said, are required to sit the Caribbean Association of Medical Councils (CAMC) exams.
“There are a number of Barbadian graduates from many different universities around the world that had to do that exam. I don’t know what the position is today, but once they passed that exam, they were eligible to get jobs in the system, but they would be competing with Barbadians and some persons from other schools and like any other job you compete,” Walrond told Barbados TODAY.
“I know of graduates who have passed their exams, are registered in Barbados and have entered the postgraduate programmes here at the University of the West Indies and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH). So I don’t know where that idea has come from” the professor added.
He, however, explained exemptions could be made for specialist entities such as the Cuban Brigade.
Comissiong meanwhile argued that the young doctors should not be required to take another exam and feels so passionately about the issue, that he sent a proposal to the Minister of Health and Wellness. Instead, he argued they should receive hands-on training in the Barbadian healthcare system.
“Let them go through a period where they will work under the supervision of experienced Barbadian doctors in the public health system… So they would be bringing value to the public health system while benefiting from an acclimatization period, after which, they would be registered to practice medicine fully on their own in Barbados. To me that is the sensible approach to the issue,” he suggested.
According to Comissiong, “hostile attitudes” toward Cuban-trained doctors have taken a toll on the programme’s appeal. He added that the healthcare systems in neighbouring countries like Grenada, St. Lucia, Jamaica and Antigua have all been benefiting from the talents of Barbadians trained in Cuba.
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